


Cloudcluster

by Siderion



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Biotics (Mass Effect), Canon-Typical Violence, Family, Friendship, Gen, Jardaan, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sentient Spaceship, Synesthesia, Telepathic Bond, remnant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 22:15:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14757282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siderion/pseuds/Siderion
Summary: After leaving Andromeda to run away from to the civil war that lead to the release of the Scourge upon the Heleus system, the jardaan who left travelled through darkspace all the way back to the galaxy they left cycles ago.Vaan is the pilot of their own sentient living spaceship, who happens never to have set foot out of it, decides to follows their curiosity on a whim. They find themselves in the middle of a galactic crisis they count exploit to their fullest to explore this place, have fun and find a system or cluster for their people to settle on.





	Cloudcluster

Whatever Vaan hit, they hit it hard. Their body shook, each nerve alit with liquid pain, even when they were basking in Evfray’s soft touches, the anchorship’s consciousness already sharing, absorbing part of the suffering. They could feel their body still twitching uncontrollably.  
  
Positive point: they could breath now, even if they couldn’t take deep inspirations, their hearts beating too fast to breath normally. Vaan probably should consider themselves lucky to still be alive after taking the gambit of tracking the curious signal back to its origin on a pure impulse, leaving not only Evfray, but also the rest of the herd behind. They didn’t doubt there would be hell to pay for Vaan once their fellow soulstars and the other anchorships would get their hands on them.  
  
_You seem badly damaged.  
  
_ The jardaan blinked a few times, searching for the mind that had stirred them out of their thoughts. There was a translucent blue humanoid, blurry features and mechanical voice that could only belong to an AI. It looked like a child, except for the lack of soulmarks on the face or hands.  
  
_I’m sure it’s not as bad as it looks_ , Vaan shot back, sweeping a warm liquid from under their nose. Blood. _I’m still alive_ , they added as they absentmindedly wiped their bloody fingers on the ground. _Who are you?  
  
__I am the Catalyst._ There was emotion neither in their voice nor their eyes.  
  
Vaan only found themselves more curious about it, tapping their left index against their inferior lip while searching in Evfray’s database for a life form similar to that one. They found nothing. Not that it was surprising considering that jardaan hadn’t set sails to the Soulstars’ Spiral after leaving it, ages ago. Long enough for whole civilizations that have been born, grown and died a thousand times, at the very least.  
  
_You are organic as well as synthetic._ The Catalyst’s voice broke the silence, snapped Vaan back to reality. They could clearly sense the carnberry taste of curiosity, acidic but somehow soft, coming from the other being. _We have never encountered your species before.  
  
_ Vaan massaged their throat, realizing with relief that their angdaar was still there and somehow undamaged. Thanks fuck for small mercies. They briefly wondered whether to reveal their species or not, before reminding themselves that this wasn’t be their decision to begin with. Not when the rest of the herd were safely hidden for now. The Catalyst didn’t seem hostile but it wasn’t an ally either. It was also being a bit too cryptic for their taste.  
  
_Neither did I encounter yours. What are you?  
  
__I am the Catalyst. When the time comes, I am to be the one to bring order to chaos_. There was nothing to be said to that so Vaan just nodded. Better let it do the talking and pick up the interesting bits. _We are curious about the mean you have used to arrive here.  
  
__I take it you don’t have many visitors_ , Vaan replied. _Where is here?_ Better deflect the question with another.  
  
_The Citadel.  
  
_ Looking around, Vaan could see through the distinct lack of ceiling. They were five petal-like arms in their vision’s periphery, reaching into this deep space they could contemplate from here. Vaan realized they were currently in a flagship. Then it meant they hadn’t made a mistake when noticing the signal.  
  
_The Citadel is your anchorship._    
  
_The Citadel is a part of me. It is a space station, the jewel of galactic civilization,_ it replied.   
  
It didn’t sound like the Catalyst quite understood what the jardaan had meant, otherwise it would have answered ‘yes’. After all being an AI didn’t stop it from being a soulstar, especially if it said that the space station was a part of it. Vaan wondered if there were such things as proper anchorships and soulstars in this galaxy. It wasn’t impossible, actually, seeing that their ancestors had left the Soulstars’ Spiral aboard anchorships to begin with, aeons ago.  
  
There was a long silence before it repeated, _We have never encountered your species before. You are not from this galaxy.  
  
__I am_ , Vaan replied, feeling like there wasn’t anything to gain from hiding the truth, but also unwilling to reveal that their people had left for Storm’s Eye a long time ago, only thinking of coming back when their parents had seen that the civil war that had teared the jardaan apart would lead to the release of the Scourge.   
  
They had immediately reunited the people willing to go and left Storm’s Eye as fast as possible, at the price of the loss of millennia scientific researches and advancements such as Meridian, the hub of the system-wide vault network they had established to supervise the terraforming then control the climate of the planets the vaults had been constructed in.   
  
_You are not from this cycle.  
  
_ Vaan blinked at that, not understanding what the AI was talking about. What was a cycle? They frowned when they felt the faint touch of a tentative mental touch over their mind, Evfray instantly blanketing it. Vaan sent their anchorship thoughts of gratefulness.  
  
_Your existence poses a new variable to our problem, maybe even a new solution. As you have captured our attention, we will watch you from now. Stand up, I will open a path for you._  
  
Everything went black then.  
  
Vaan groaned as they were flattened to the ground, not quite satisfied with what the Catalyst way of opening a path was. Their body felt like it was on fire for the second time. They opened their eyes on a room, bodies on the ground around them. From the blood and weapons on the floor, it wasn’t difficult to deduce there had a shooting. No survivors from what they could see.  
  
Whatever had happened, it was very recent since Vaan couldn’t sniff the odor of death and decomposing bodies. What they could distinctly smell though, was gas. They went on their feet as fast as they could, gritting their feet through the pain. They had to get out of there as soon as possible. Gas leak and shooting. The building they were in might have sustained structural damages, probably had. There might be a fire somewhere. There also might not be but Vaan wasn’t willing to stick around and be caught in an explosion.

* * *

“First a quarian badly wounded. Then this. What sort of times do we live in?” the doctor was murmuring, mostly to herself as she helped Vaan sit on a bed, worry tainting her voice. “What if I hadn’t found you? God knows what would’ve happened.”  
  
Since she wasn’t directly talking to them, or didn’t require any answer from them, Vaan let their attention wander away from the human female and to their navi. The device was mostly unresponsive, not even error notifications flashing. At least, they told themselves, its translator had functioned well enough so far for the jardaan to be able to communicate orally. Their inborn synesthesia would also help them navigate this brand-new galaxy without as many blunders as they would have done without it.   
  
Still, it didn’t stop them from wishing that Soulstars’ Spiral’s sapients could talk directly to their mind. Vaan didn’t think they had had a proper oral conversation in decades if one didn’t count the times they talked to themselves aloud while walking through Evfray, making sure that the bots and drones were full functional and taking care of their maintenance. Of course, it didn’t help that most people in the herd had been put in cryo while they were leaving Storm’s Eye and entering darkspace.   
  
Thankfully, the herd allowed the soulstars to communicate between each other thanks to their link to the anchorships as long as they stayed relatively close. It had been a comfort when the maintenance team that helped Vaan in their duty had to rotate every couple of years and although they did speak, it was more often than not telepathic since the anchorships were so large.   
  
Evfray nudged them gently, getting Vaan’s attention back to the doctor. “Sorry, you were saying?” They stopped themselves from frowning; being obligated to voice their words aloud still felt weird. Hopefully, they would get used to it soon enough.  
  
She gave them a look but kindly asked them, a second time apparently, to strip out of what was left of their armor. The jardaan followed their order, though not without grimacing at the pain. Meanwhile, they did their best not to stare. They had gleaned informations about the different species populating the galaxy on the extranet, before the Catalyst signal caught their attention, but she was the first living human they had the occasion of examining up close. Their first proper alien encounter now that they thought about it. This was so exciting!  
  
“You were lucky,” the woman said she passed a curious orange device surrounding her hand around him. There were informations displayed on it though they didn’t know their signification, they guessed it was some sort of scan. Vaan used her distraction to watch her. She looked fairly similar as a jardaan, with the same number of limbs and fingers, although the sexual characteristics like her curved chest were intriguing. As were the lack of soulmarks and her mono-colored teal green eyes.   
  
“Your armor sustained most of the damage from the explosion. You have many contusions and your right flank suffered from a second degree burn. It could’ve been worse though, seeing what happened to your armor. It’s nothing medi-gel can’t take care of. You’re a lucky young man,” she added, taking a step back for their eyes to meet.  
  
In the back of Vaan’s mind, Evfray snorted, undoubtedly amused at how mistaken the human was. Vaan might not be the oldest jardaan alive, they were still far older than the doctor, much older than she could ever dream of being from what they had gathered.  
  
The human took a tube of the medi-gel product, put a fair amount in her hand, then applied it on their skin. Vaan looked at the process with curiosity. The gel was cold to the touch but it was refreshing sensation, soothing the burns and soreness. It stuck to their skin, fast hardening until it felt like they were wearing a shell. They moved lightly to test its flexibility and was satisfied to see it seemed to allow for some movements.  
  
“When it falls, if it doesn’t look well don’t hesitate to apply some more, especially on your side.” She patted Vaan gently on the head, then looked at their wrists. “I see that you have no omni-tool.” Her aura tasted like carnberries. She was curious then.   
  
They didn’t have a clue about what an omni-tool was but with her reaction, they would have to obtain one. “Lost it during the explosion,” they eventually answered since it was the perfect excuse. “As well as my other belongings,” they added after a small pause.   
  
All in all, the Catalyst had dumped Vaan in a very convenient place, even though they could have done without getting further injured in an explosion. In Vaan’s rush to find that signal, they didn’t think to take anything but their armor. On the positive side, it meant the distinct different of technology between their species and what the jardaan had seen of the locals so far wouldn’t be easily noticed. Especially with their armor being little more than unusable melted scraps now.   
  
“You said your biotics helped you walking away from the explosion site.” The doctor gestured Vaan’s angdaar, sitting snugly around their throat. Actually, it was the only piece of them not to have been damaged by their adventure so far. They had never been so thankful for the protecting device; a damaged navi was more likely than not to lead to brain-related complications. Vaan was many things, but suicidal certainly wasn’t one of them, regardless of Evfray’s snide comments.  
  
“May I ask what kind of implant you use? No wait, don’t tell me. You’re still in your 20s right? A L3 then, or maybe the brand new L5. Either way, that’s pretty impressive.”  
  
Humans were wonderful if they asked questions only to answer them themselves just after. The jardaan wouldn’t even have to search for a cover story, other people would make it up for them. The good doctor didn’t even seem to realize they weren’t human to begin with. In a corner of their mind, Vaan put the need to research biotic implants. They didn’t think they had heard of anything like that before.  
  
_Evfray, remind me to research what are biotic implants later, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that._ The anchorship made a noncommittal noise but Vaan had been his soulstar long enough to know he’d do so. He was probably already scouring the galactic extranet for informations.  
  
“I don’t think I introduced myself did I? Chloe Michel, humble doctor in this little clinic. What’s your name?” the doctor asked.  
  
_How does Vaan Ishara sound?_ They didn’t wait for the ship’s answer to tell Dr. Michel, “Vaan Ishara.”  
  
_Are you going to traipse all over the galaxy with that name?_ Evfray sounded very amused.  
  
_You heard the human, she gave two names and I’m certainly not giving my soulname so my clan should do_ , they retorted.   
  
“Well, Vaan, nice to meet you. Don’t thank me for helping you, I’m merely doing my job.” She walked away, putting the now empty tubes in a bin. “Just stay here. You said you lost your belongings so I’m gonna see if I can find you some clothes. You can’t walk around just in your underwear,” she said, departing to another room.  
  
_Can you see this place, Evfray?_ Vaan asked the ship once Dr. Michel was out of view.   
  
Their gaze lingered around. It was pretty spacious for a little place, separated into two areas by a large low wall. They had entered through the door, on the other zone, where there were a console and some benches, certainly for the patients to wait for their turn. Themselves were in the other part. Beds, separated by thick partition walls, had been aligned against the wall, which superior part was nothing less than a picture window.   
  
From here, they could view the pink leaves of a giant tree, green grass as well as small painted flying ships passing nearby. Vaan grinned. They were so used to the blue hues, occasionally green much less saturated than the one out there, of the anchorships hallways that had seen their birth, the machines milling around barely different. Everything they could see here was so colorful and luminous, _bright_ now that they could observe them in person instead of through vids or faint memories from their ancestors.  
  
Evfray was distinctly sullen when he replied, _Not much. Our neural link isn’t what it should be because of the navi. The visual feedback isn’t stable_.  
  
_Don’t be disappointed, I can save pictures and sent them once my navi gets its kick back. But anyway, it’s my first time ever off-ship,_ our _first time out of darkspace. I have to explore it before going back. I’d rather pass as a local alien then being under the spotlight for being from beyond the darkspace.  
  
_ There was a small silence, where Vaan could feel the anchorship’s distinct fond annoyance at them. _The other soulstars are going to kill you when you get back, you know that?  
  
__I’ll tell them I was scouting for an appropriate system for us to settle to. It’s pleasure and work mixed together.  
  
_ Evfray snorted but didn’t comment, his presence dimming when Dr. Michel was heard again, startling them. “I know this look. You’re new here, right?” She chuckled. If she had noticed the way they flinched in surprise, she didn’t comment on it. They accepted the clothes, grey shirt, black pants and white socks, she handed them with a grateful nod.  
  
“Pretty much,” they answered truthfully. She didn’t know how right she was. “I haven’t been off-ship for what seems like forever. I can’t wait to explore this place.”  
  
“You remind me of my first time.” She smiled, her expression soft as she continued, “I grew up on Earth, you see, and when I first arrived, I was awed by the Citadel. It’s the same for many newcomers actually. Even though being caught up in an explosion isn’t,” she added, amusement popping on Vaan’s tongue, making the jardaan smile at her. “Well, _silver lining_.”   
  
They frowned slightly, the translation somehow muddy. Vaan realized then, that it must have been an idiom. They wondered then how people perceived the words proper to the Ruash they spoke. Hopefully, it wouldn’t sound too weird to the locals.   
  
“You’re mostly fine. Your armor and biotics really did an admirable job.” She glanced at the remains of said protection. “It’s not much and not quite your size,” she told Vaan when they had changed into their new outfit, eyeing them from head to toe. “But better than your previous clothes. I forgot the shoes,” she concluded, departing once again.  
  
There was a beeping sound, followed by the entrance door opening.  
  
The newcomers didn’t look like patients or taste like people in need of a doctor: no apparent wounds, tired appearance or taste of pain. What Vaan could feel though was the scorch of their aggressivity, making their throat dry and uncomfortable. The jardaan wasn’t surprised to find themselves at the end of a heavy pistol.   
  
They forced themselves not to react when someone, a male, grabbed them by the collar of their shirt, putting a gun against their temple. They shuddered, disgusted at the physical contact but succeeded in keeping their biotics in check. Let the aliens underestimate them and believe they were inoffensive, especially since Vaan knew nothing of the situation.  
  
“Where’s the doctor?!” Black eyes met him. He didn’t let them the time to say anything before his grip went firmer. “If you wanna live, you better answer.” He shook them. “Now!”  
  
“Vaan?!” Dr. Michel screamed. Added to the aggressive atmosphere, her bitter worry when she re-entered the room left a bad flavor in Vaan’s mouth. “What’s hap—” The poor woman’s words died on her lips when she saw the scene. The boots she had been carrying fell to the ground with a thump.  
  
The male smirked as he let them go, pushing them out of his way. Vaan stumbled back, hissing when their back hit the glass. “Well, better be straightforward. I hope for your safety you didn’t speak.” He glanced at Vaan, gun still pointed at them. “To anyone.” Vaan really didn’t appreciate the human’s tone. He clearly needed to be taught some manners.  
  
“Wait! You can’t, he’s just a patient! I’ve told nothing to anyone!”  
  
A glance around the room told them there were ten hostiles flanking the doctor and them. Since Vaan was pretty certain they were the only biotic present, the jardaan should be able to take all of them on, especially with the element of surprise on their side. That would however be at the expanse of Dr. Michel’s safety, which they couldn’t let be injured when they were in her debt.  
  
“Smart move, Doc. Keep being smart if Garrus comes sticking his mandibles were he shouldn’t.”   
  
They were wondering if they could slam all the beds into the attackers at the same time to distract them when they saw the sliding door open, noise muffled by the leader talking loudly, monopolizing the room’s attention.  
  
Vaan had been facing the entrance, which was the only reason why they saw a crouching alien making their way inside. That one was also humanoid, but much less jardaan-like than humans and Vaan couldn’t help but stare. _Male turian, one of the prominent Soulstars’ Spiral spacefaring species_ , Vaan remembered the moment they noticed the slightly moving mandibles. When the other caught them looking, he gestured to them with a three-fingered hand.  
  
Behind him were three humans, two males and one female, all armored and armed. The black-eyed man turned to them, a gasp of surprise escaping his lips but already reaching for Dr. Michel to put an arm around her neck and the nose of his gun against her temple.  
  
One of his companions tried to do the same to them. Vaan was faster though. With an ease born from centuries of practice, they grabbed her forearm hard with their biotics, effortlessly lifted her body and slammed her into one of her buddies. The two of two staggered as silver energy hit them. Bullets finished them before they could regain their balance and their bodies fell to the floor.  
  
Bending down, the jardaan searched for Dr. Michel, hoping she hadn’t been hit in the ongoing shooting. Her aggressor had already gone down and she was on her knees, folded to protect her belly while her hands were over her head. Since she was alone, the turian and his allies weren’t attacking them while the others were otherwise distracted, Vaan crawled in front of her in case she needed protection.  
  
After what, they turned their focus back to the battlefield. All the combatants had taken cover. Three men had gone down, blood already pooling under them. Another one was slammed into a wall, neck shattering at the impact. With the two they had helped killed in the beginning, plus the leader and a woman who had gone down while Vaan wasn’t looking, there were only two of the original ten hostiles left.  
  
One of them shot at him, while the other screamed when he was hit in the guts. The bullet bounced harmlessly against a protective barrier, which Vaan then pushed at the human, shattering it when it touch her. She fell unconscious on the ground.  
  
Finally, Vaan rose to their feet and held a hand to the clinician to help her do the same. She accepted it, looking a bit shaken but not uninjured. What a relief. Vaan themselves were fine, all things considered, if they ignored the deep ache of such a physical and biotic workout after their earlier experiences.  
  
“Are you okay?” The voice had a faint bitter aftertaste of concern. Its owner was tall and brawny, black hair perfectly brushed back. His biotics were making Vaan’s senses prickle to the point they put a finger between their angdaar and the back of their neck to scratch the skin under it. No doubt there, the human was strong.  
  
“No harm done,” Vaan replied with a bright smile when their eyes met. When they caught the human watching the medi-gel that wasn’t covered by their clothes, they added, “No worry, I had these before. These guys.” Vaan gestured at the bodies on the ground. “Didn’t touch me,” Vaan finished.   
  
Really, they would have been ashamed if these small dudes had been able to injure them; they weren’t more dangerous than the creepers they used to hunt for fun when they were a child.  
  
“Thanks for the help though. It made things much easier. Who are you, guys?”  
  
“Alliance Navy, Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko,” the human answered. He showed them the armored woman, black hair gathered in a bun. “This is Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams.” She spared him a glance and a nod before turning her attention back to the third human, whom she had been listening to. Staff Lieutenant Alenko pointed at him. “And this is Commander Shepard.”  
  
Shepard was standing in front of the turian, scolding the scaly grey alien for his recklessness. His hair was just a shade darker than Vaan’s copper red, thick short strands brushing the top of his large brow. Like any non-jardaan species so far, his eyes were mono-colored although the vividest green they had ever seen in an alien.  
  
Whether or not he was attractive according to human standards, Vaan didn’t know but he felt like a soulstar. Charisma was oozing from him, fascinating and magnificent, tasting like yaskaan, the centuries-old Mithravan liquor they had found in one of Evfray’s many storage areas, extremely strong and intoxicating, but sweet and easily drinkable.


End file.
